William Paterson University Has Many Great Players from New Jersey

William Paterson (WPU) recently traveled to Newark, NJ to take on Rutgers Newark in women’s college hoops. WPU made a great comeback to win the game 72-56.

Rutgers led at the end of the first quarter 21-16. WPU made some adjustments to their defense and out-scored Rutgers 18-8 in the second quarter. They led at the half-time 34-29. Both teams scored 17 points in the third quarter; WPU remained up by 5 to enter the fourth. WPU played a solid 10 minutes in which they out-scored Rutgers 21-10 to win the game.

Julie Rovito, a combo guard from Ridgefield Park High School, had an awesome game. She played 34 minutes and pumped in 29 points. Rovito slashed the lane multiple times and knew how to get into open space to get off a tough shot. She also had 5 assists.

Sierra Strong, a small forward from Freehold High School, played for 8 minutes and added 4 points to the score.

Alisa Giordano, a quick guard from Wood-Ridge High School, contributed 16 points. Giordano is a spark plug off the bench and uses her speed to hound ball handlers.

Danica DeFrank, a tall guard from West Essex High School, played strong defense inside.

Ashley Castillo, a guard with great handle from Ridgefield Park High School, starts for the team and played a solid 25 minutes. She is great at finding open teammates and moving the ball.

CeCe Green, a combo guard from Boonton High School, can pass and shoot.

Simone Small, a forward from Paul VI High School, is a strong vocal leader both on the court and from the bench. She hits the boards hard and boxes out.

Tori Woetzel, one of Bergen County’s favorites, from Ramapo High School, is a major gamer for WPU. In other words, she knows the game well and knows what it takes to win. She can score from a variety of spots and has good help defense. She played for 37 minutes and had 20 points. She also had 4 assists.

Brianna Brooks, a combo guard from Saddle Brook High School, is starting as a freshman. Prior to high school, Brooks always played the guard position, but a growth spurt put her into the post in high school. Now at the college level she’s back as a guard and her confidence is building in that position. She had 10 points and her on-the-ball pressure forced a few turnovers.

Vianca Soriano, a powerful forward from New Milford High School, rotates between starting and coming off the bench for WPU. Soriano did a good job drawing fouls and contesting shots.